Combination material transfer and air seal



Jan. 7, 1941. s. M. GooDER COMBINATION MATERIAL TRANSFER AND AIR SEAL Filed Aug. 9, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 7, 1941. a M, GOODER 2,227,749

COMBINATION MATERIAL TRANSFER AND AIR SEAL Filed Aug. 9. 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.'

aa/L l BY Mw' L ATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1941. 5 M, GOODER 2,227,749

COMBINATION MTERIALTRANSFER AND AIR SEAL Filed Aug. 9, 1939 s sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR. d @MI ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE Seth M. Gooder, Deerfield, Ill. Application August 9,-1939, Serial No. 289,189

6` Claims.

In the digging of large tunnels thr such as those required VJfor subways under cityA streets, it is customary to fill the advance ends of the tunnels with air under comparatively high pressure, as the tunnel linings 4are progressively completed. Therefore, everything that enters or leaves the portion of a tunnel containing air at this high pressure must pass through air locks or the like to prevent, as far as possible, loss of the compressed air from the chamber while a transfer is being made in one direction or the other.

The object of the present invention is to Vmake it possible to transfer material in either direction between the interior of a tunnel and the exterior, in a simple and efficient manner, without causing any appreciable loss of compressed air.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a horizontal, cylindrical receptacle having an opening in the cylindrical wall thereof, the receptacle being rotatable within a surrounding stationary cylindrical shell that has openings in the upper and under sides, with' either oi which the yopening in the receptacle may register; suitable sealing means being provided between the exterior of the receptacle and the surrounding shell or casing, to permit the receptacle at all times to form a barrier across the interior of the casing to prevent air from llowing through the casing in any angular position of thel receptacle. With this arrangement, the receptacle being brought into a position in which its opening registers with the top opening in the casing, material may be deposited in the receptacle. Then, upon turning the receptacle, the material may drop by gravity through the bottom opening in the casing. As the receptacle is lled with material, the ycompressed air that has entered the receptacle is displaced and passes back into the tunnel proper, so that the only compressed air that is lost is the small amount that -lls the interstices in or is otherwise held within the material that is to be discharged. Likewise, by placing the` apparatus in such a manner that the` top opening in the casing lies outside of the tunnel and the bottom opening lies on the inside of the tunnel, material may be moved from the outside into the tunnel. In such case, when the mouth-of the empty receptacle is placed in communication with the outside atmosphere, a receptacle full of compressed air escapes because, after the receptacle has dumped its contents Within the tunnel, it becomes filled with compressed air. However, the quan- (Cl. (il-83) ough soil,tity of air which is lost in this manner is so small that it may be disregarded.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, where- Figure l is a top plan View of anapparatus embodying my invention, shown as having a small fragment thereof broken away, located in a pit which may be within or on the outside of a tunnel; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus, the pit being shown in vertical section; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. l is a View similar to Fig. 3, showing the receptacle in a different position than that which it occupies in Fig. 3, and only the receptacle and the surrounding casing being shown; Fig. 5 is a perspective View, on a somewhat larger scale than Figs. l to 4, of the receptacle; Fig. 6 is a section, on a still larger scale, on lines 6-6 of Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the receptacle and casing of a slightly modiiied construction; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a multiple unit comprising three individual units arranged end to end; and Fig. 9 is an end view of the unit illustrated in Fig. 8, the relative positions of the three material-receiving compartments being indicated in dotted lines.`

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, I represents the cylindrical wall and 2 the end walls of a cylindrical casing or receptacle. Surrounding and fixed to the ends of the cylindrical walls oi the receptacle are wide bearing rings 3. The cylindrical wall of the receptacle is cut away from one bearing ring to the other across a considerable circumferential distance which may ap- .im proach but is less than one-quarter of the cireumference of the receptacle; thus providing the receptacle with a mouth 4.

Distributed along the periphery of the cylindrical portion of the receptacle are longitudinal sealing strips 5, each extending from one bearing ring tothe other. In the arrangement shown,v these sealing strips are arranged in pairs, there being four pairs spaced around the receptacle; two of the pairs being arranged on opposite sides `of` and near the mouth or opening 4 of there- `.ceptacld and the other two being symmetrically arranged on the opposite side of the cylindrical wall of the receptacle. Each sealing strip may comprise a piece of rubber or other yieldable,

50| ceding from the opening 8.

durable material suitably held to the receptacle wall.

Surrounding the receptacle is a cylindrical casing 9 whose internal diameter corresponds to the external diameter of the bearing rings 3, so that the weight of the receptacle and its contents is or may be imposed upon the casing through the bearing rings, leaving the sealing strips 5 free to function solely as a means to prevent air from owing circumferentially of the receptacle through the annular space between the periphery of the receptacle and the surrounding casing wall. By making the bearing rings wide and flat, and iitting them properly within the casing, the lubri cant which will naturally be employed between the rings and the bearing surfaces therefor serves to provide an adequate seal at each endof the annular space between the periphery of the receptacle and the surrounding cylindrical wall of the casing, so that no air can leak out past the ends of the receptacle.

The casing is preferably provided with end walls 'I and the cylindrical wall of the casing is provided with opposite openings 8 and 9, respectively, each of these openings being of substanrtially the same length and width as the opening 4 in the receptacle. In mounting the device in its position of use, the opening 8 is brought to the top while the opening 9 is on the under side. Therefore, with the receptacle in the position illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, relatively to the surrounding casing, material may be introduced inrto the receptacle through the opening 8, while the sealing strips 5 shut off communication between this opening and the opening 9. Upon turning the receptacle through an angle of one hundred eighty degrees, thereby carrying the opening Il down into registration with the opening 9 in the casing, fthe contents of the receptacle may drop by gravity through the opening 9.

Vlfhen the receptacle is in its lling position, as indicated in Fig. 3, there are ltwo pairs of the sealing strips 5 between each longitudinal edge of the opening 8 and the corresponding edge of the opening 9. Assuming that the receptacle is turned in the counter-clockwise direcltion, the lower` le-'thand pair of strips soon reaches .the opening 9 while the upper lefthand pair is re- I-Iowever, before the upper lefthand pair of strips can reach the opening 9, the upper righthand pair has passed across lthe top` opening 8 into the position illustrated in Fig. 4. Consequently, there always remains at least one pair of sealing strips closing offy the annular passage between the receptacle and the casing on each side of the unilt, regardless of the angular position of the recepltacle in the unit.

If the unit be set in a pit in the bottom of a tunnel, for example, excavated material may be deposited in the receptacle while ilt is in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, and be discharged into a suitable chute or passage underneath the itunnel, through the bottom opening 9, upon turning the receptacle upside-down. The chute or passage receiving the excavated material from the transfer unit, may lead to any suitable point at which provision has been made for carrying away the excavated material. On the other hand, if the unit be located on the outside of a tunnel; the chute or passage may extend through the side-0r topi of the tunnel so that material introduced into the receptacle through the opening 8 in the casing is. dumped into the tunnel upon turning the receptacle over. In other words, the device may be used either for removing material from a tunnel or for delivering material to the tunnel. In the rslt case, assuming the air in the tunnel to be under high pressure, the only way that air can escape through the unit to fthe exterior is by being carried around in the receptacle. If the receptacle be revolved while empty, it will carry air with it during each revolution. However, if it is turned from a receiving position inrto ilts dumping position only when it is full of excavated material, only an insignicant quantity of air can be carried along with the material. In the second case, the receptacle is empty when ilt is turned from a position in which it is in open communication with the interior of the tunnel and, therefore, a receptacle full of compressed air can be carried around with the receptacle whenever ilt is brought into its lling position after having been emptied. While the quantity of air which escapes in this way is relatively greater than that which can be carried along with material moved out of the relceptacle, the loss of air is not such as to prevent the maintainance of aA substantially uniform air pressure within the tunnel.

The receptacle may be turned in any suitable manner. In the arrangement shown, it is provided at one end with a trunnion o-r journal I9 extending 'through the adjacent end wall of the casing and mounted in a suitable bearing II, whereas a similar journal or trunnion I2 at the opposite end of the receptacle is connected to the shaft of an electric motor I4 by means of a' suitable coupling I5. The motor may easily be operated and controlled by means, not shown, to turn the receptacle accurately from a receiving position to a discharging position, and back again.

In` order to insure the elecltive emptying of the receptacle, it is advisable that the materialreceiving chamber therein be no wider than the opening 4, thereby providing a straight drop for the contenlts of :the receptacle when it is turned upside-down. In the arrangement shown, there are two parallel, longitudinal walls I6, Iei extending across the interior of the receptacle from the longitudinal edges of [the opening 4. Each of |these two walls meets what may be termed a bottom wall I'I to make a corner engaged with the cylindrical wall of the receptacle. These walls and the receptacle as a whole are preferably braced and reenforced by means of little rib-like bulkheads I8 arranged in planes at right angles to the cylindrical axis of Ithe receptacle and each shaped to fit against one of the flat walls and thalt section of the cylindrical wall o1 the receptacle that constitutes an arc which the at wall subtends. These reenforcing members are preferably also secured in place by welding them to the walls with which they engage.

It will be seen that as the emplty receptacle is returned from a. discharge position to its receiving position, A,air rushes inito the receptacle as soon as the advancing edge of the opening in the latter passes the near edge of the inlet opening in the casing. In order to avoid the delivery of a sudden blast of air into the receptacle as one continuous edge just passes a second stationary edge, I cut a series of narrow slots I9 into the cylindriczatl Wall of Ithe casing through each of the longitudinal edges bounding lthe opening 8. Consequently, kair is admitted into the receptacle Ithrough these slots in small quantities before any part of fthe opening 4 comes into registration with the opening 8. In this way there is a preliminary raising of the pressure in the receptacle,

so that the difference between that pressure and the pressure in the tunnel is much less than it would otherwise be at the time somepart of the opening 4 in the receptacle registers with the opening 8 in the casing. v

Sometimes wiet clay or other soil tends to adhere to metal surfaces with which it comes in contact, and this might result in a failure of the receptacle to discharge its contents cleanly. I have found that by heating the surfaces with which the wet material engages there is substantially no adhesion between the walls of the container and its contents, probably due to the fact that a layer of steam is formed between the heated walls and the -contents of the receptacle. I have therefore illustrated, more or less diagrammatically, means for heating the side and bo-ttom walls of the material-containing compartments; such means consisting of flat electrical heating elements 2U fastened to the outer faces of the walls I6 and l1. In the arrangement shown, these heating elements are in the form of long, narrow plates, a series of which is applied to each of the walls to be heated.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings the transferring and sealing unit is shown as housed in a pit A the upper surface a of which may be the floor of a tunnel or the like'. The pit is open at the bottom below the casing and its receptacle, thereby providing a discharge chute or passage B registering -at its upper end with the opening 9 in the casing and .extending to any desired point where facilities exist for carrying away the spoil.

If conditions are such that it is desirable to handle smaller individual loads, the materia1-re ceiving compartment in the receptacle may be divided into two compartments. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 7. There is no difference between the casing and its receptacle in Fig. '7 and that previously described, except that the receptacle is provided with a second opening 2| similar to the opening 4, lying between the ends of the walls I6 on the opposite side of the receptacle from the side in which the opening 4 is located. A bottom wall 22, corresponding to the wall I1, extends between the wall I6 at the axis of the receptacle, thus dividing the material-receiving space into two compartments one of which may be lled while the other is being discharged.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is illustrated what may be termed a multiple unit that may comprise simply a plurality of complete units D, E and F arranged end to end with their casings fixed and their receptacles connected together so as to rotate in unison. The three receptacles, indicated at d, e and f are progressively displaced angularly of the axis of the multiple unit so that only one of them will be in loading position at a time. In the arrangement illustrated, the receiving compartment of the receptacle d is in loading position, the material-receiving compartment for the receptacle e has partially entered the loading position, and the third receptacle is presenting a solid cylindrical wall to the inlet opening 8 in its unit.

With this latter arrangement, material may be delivered by three separate containers and charges may be delivered from each conveyor to the corresponding receptacle whenever that receptacle occupies its loading position.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, with a slight modification; I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within thedeflnitions of my invention constitutinglthe appended claims. l

I claim:

1. An apparatusfor transferring material and maintaining an air seal between the inlet and outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal cylindrical casing closed at the ends and having long top and bottom openings of considerable angular width, a horizontal cylindrical receptacle positioned and rotatable in said casing and havingan opening adapted to register with either of the-aforesaid openings depending upon the angu l-ar position of the receptacle in the casing, the angular'width of the opening in the receptacle beingless than the angular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, metal bearing Iand sealing rings between the casing and the receptacle at the ends of their cylindrical walls, and longitudinal rubber sealing strips distributed about the periphery of the receptacle and spaced apart from each other a lesser angular distance than the angular distance between a longitudinal edge of one of the said openings in the casing and the nearest edge of the other opening.

' 2. An apparatus for transferring material and maintaining an air seal between the inlet and outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal cylindrical casing having long top and bottom `openings of considerable angular width, a horizontal cylindrical receptacle somewhat smaller in diameter than the cylindrical diameter of the casing, positioned and rotatable in said casing and havingv an opening adapted to register with either of the aforesaid openings depending upon the angular position of the receptacle in the casing, the angular width of the opening in the receptacle being less than the angular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, wide bearing rings surrounding and fixed upon the ends of the receptacle and forming seals between the receptacle and the casing, and longitudinal rubber sealing strips extending from one bearing ring to the other and distributed about the periphery of the receptacle, said strips being spaced apart from each other a lesser angular distance than the angular distance between a longitudinal edge of one of the said openings in the casing and the nearest edge of the other opening.

3. An apparatus for transferring material and maintaining an air seal between the inlet and outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal cylindrical casing having long top and bottom openings of considerable angular width, a horizontal cylindrical receptacle positioned and rotatable in said casing and having an opening adapted to register with either of the aforesaid openings depending upon the angular position of the receptacle in the casing, the angular width of the open ing in the receptacle being less than the angular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, fixed parallel walls extending across the interior of the receptacle from the longitudinal edges of the opening in the receptacle, means forming a seal between the cylindrical walls of the casing and the receptacle at their ends, and longitudinal rubber sealing strips distributed about the periphery of the receptacle between the latter and the casing, the spacing between the strips being less than the distance between a longitudinal edge of one of the said openings in the casing and the nearest edge of` the other opening;

4. An apparatus for transferring material-and maintaining an air seal between the inletand outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal` cylindrical casing having long top and Ibottom openings of considerable angular Width, a horizontal cylindrical receptacle positioned and rotatable in said casing and having an, opening adapted to register with either of jthe aforesaid openings depending upon the angularl position of the receptacle in thecasing, theangular,Y width of the opening in the receptacle being less than the langular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, xed flat walls extending across the interior of said receptacle from the longitudinal edges of the opening therein, a` xed cross wall joining the lower or inner ends of the last-mentioned walls and forming therewith a material receiving chamber, rib-like bulkheads fitted between the several walls of said chamber and the cylindrical wall of the receptacle, means forming a seal between the cylindrical walls of the casing and the receptacle including longitudinal sealing strips of rubber distributed about theperiphery of the receptacle, the spacing between the strips being less than the distance between `a longitudinal edge I one of the said openings in the `casing and the nearest edge of the other opening. d

5. An apparatus for transferring material and maintaining an air seal between the inlet and outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal cylindrical casing having long top` and bottom openings of considerable angular width, the'casing having a. considerable number of short, narrow slots cut into the same through each of the long edges bounding'the top opening therein, a hori- ,w zontal `cylindrical receptacle positioned and ro- `tatablevin said casing and havingan opening adapted to registerwith either ofthe aforesaid openings depending upon the angular position of the receptacle in the casing, the angular width of the opening in the receptacle being less than the angular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, means forming a seal between the cylindrical walls of the Vcasing and the `receptacle at their ends, and longitudinal sealing strips xed to and distributed about the periphery of the receptacle, the spacing between the strips being less than the distance between a longitudinal edge of one of the said openings in the casing and the nearest edge of the other opening.

6. An apparatus for transferring material and maintaining an air seal between the inlet and outlet sides thereof, comprising a horizontal cylindrical casing having long top and bottom openings of considerable angular width, a horizontal cylindrical receptacle positioned and rotatable in said casing and having an opening adapted to register with either of the aforesaid openings depending upon the angular position of the receptacle in the case, the angular width of the opening in the receptacle being less than the angular width of the unmutilated sections of the cylindrical wall of the casing between the openings in the latter, fixed flat walls extending across the interior of said receptacle from the longitudinal edges of the openings therein, a iiXed cross wall sp'anning the distance between the inner or lower edges of said walls to form a material-receiving chamber, means on the walls of the latter chamber to heat the same, means forming a seal between the cylindrical walls of the casing and the receptacle at their ends, and longitudinal sealing strips fixed to and distributed about the periphery of the receptacle, the spacing between the strips being less than the distance between a longitudinal edge of one of the said openings: in the .casing and the nearest edge of the other opening.

SETH M. GOODER. 

